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IEE faculty, fellows, staff, and projects in the news

Scientists design a new reactor that turns renewable electricity into a storable fuel

Scientists design a new reactor that turns renewable electricity into a storable fuel

| earth.com

Scientists have created a reactor capable of converting carbon dioxide into storable methane fuel using microbes and renewable energy.

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Penn State announces tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2026 | Penn State University

Penn State announces tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2026

| psu.edu

Penn State has announced academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1, 2026.

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Rwenzori Mountains’ first major fire in 12,000 years marked new era for climate | Penn State University

Rwenzori Mountains’ first major fire in 12,000 years marked new era for climate

| psu.edu

Researchers have made a surprising discovery in sediment core samples from lakes in the East African Rwenzori Mountains: A 2012 wildfire that ravaged 16 square miles of the forest and alpine landscapes at more than 13,000 feet above sea level was unprecedented in at least the last 12,000 years.

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U.S. Geological Survey grant to fund ag study of PFAS in small watersheds | Penn State University

U.S. Geological Survey grant to fund ag study of PFAS in small watersheds

| psu.edu

Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a grant of nearly $309,000 from the U.S. Geological Survey, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, to study the movement and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in small agricultural watersheds across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

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Why Pennsylvania’s low-income residents are feeling the squeeze as gas prices rise

Why Pennsylvania’s low-income residents are feeling the squeeze as gas prices rise

When gas prices rise, not everyone feels the pain equally. For low-income and rural Pennsylvanians, a trip to the gas station can mean choosing between a full tank and groceries.

Authors

A person drags a large, orange fire hose across open land with a towering column of gray wildfire smoke in the distance.

Wildfires strike Florida, Georgia and America’s ‘wood basket’

| nytimes.com

Large fires, fueled by a record breaking drought, have been destroying homes and timber plantations in Southeastern states. This article quotes IEE Associate Director Erica Smithwick.

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New reactor design produces renewable methane from carbon dioxide | Penn State University

New reactor design produces renewable methane from carbon dioxide

An international team, led by Penn State’s Institute of Energy and the Environment Director Bruce Logan, has developed a new reactor design that efficiently converts carbon dioxide and renewable electricity into methane — the primary component of natural gas — while scaling the system up by roughly an order of magnitude without sacrificing performance.

Mentions

Collaboration drives community-based bioeconomy innovation in Brazilian Amazon | Penn State University

Collaboration drives community-based bioeconomy innovation in Brazilian Amazon

| psu.edu

An international project led by a Penn State team is helping to identify how community-based bioeconomies in the Brazilian Amazon can support forest conservation while increasing income opportunities for the traditional and Indigenous communities that protect and manage these landscapes. 

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Sustainable Labs Program concludes fourth year, expands impact across campuses | Penn State University

Sustainable Labs Program concludes fourth year, expands impact across campuses

| psu.edu

The Penn State Sustainable Labs Program continues to expand its reach across campuses while advancing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of research spaces. The 2025–26 cohort included 20 labs spanning multiple colleges, with seven labs recertifying after participating in the program’s inaugural 2022–23 cohort. The program supports research teams in adopting sustainable practices without compromising scientific discovery, with participation remaining free to all labs.

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Penn State names five new Evan Pugh University Professors | Penn State University

Penn State names five new Evan Pugh University Professors

| psu.edu

Five Penn State professors have been named Evan Pugh University Professors, the University’s highest faculty honor, effective July 1. They are W. Niel Brandt, Eberly Family Chair Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics; Long-Qing Chen, Hamer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Runze Li, Eberly Family Chair Professor of Statistics; Karen Thole, professor of mechanical engineering; and Adri van Duin, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering.

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Eastern Blazes

Faculty expertise: Eastern blazes

| pennstatermag.com

Wildfire preparedness is of utmost importance for many East Coast communities, says geography professor Erica Smithwick, who’s leading a new research effort to that end.

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Undergraduate research helps launch geography senior’s next chapter | Penn State University

Undergraduate research helps launch geography senior’s next chapter

| psu.edu

Penn State senior Isabel Rivera found her passion through undergraduate geography research that took her from classroom learning and data analysis to fieldwork in South Africa.

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Seed Grant Projects